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K1300S tire recommendation: PR2, PR3, Metz Z8, Pirelli Angles?

Almost as bad as an oil thread. I have been going back and forth on what tires to order this time around. As background, rider 210, no passengers, light luggage, riding a combination of playing somewhat aggresively in the hills/curves of SW Wisconsin and slabbing it to see the kids out-of-state.

Original M3s felt great in the corners but only made it to 3800. Looking for greater mileage put on Z8s, lost some of the secure feeling in the corners, had to replace rear after 5000 with the cords showing with no warning (virtually no wear bars in center of the tread that I ever saw). Z8's replaced with M5s because when the Z8 cords started showing was 200 miles from home, looking at rain and M5s where the only tires dealer had in stock. M5s feel better than the Z8s and but will be gone by 4500.

Generally don't travel in the rain unless forced to, given that, is there any reason I should chose the PR3s over the PR2s if I discount the wet traction? Has anyone had any two of the three brands/models (PR, Z8, Angles) and what was you impression and would chose over the other and why?

My wife and I have been happy with the PR3s on our K1300Ss. Guys a lot faster than us running the PR3s on the 1200 or 1300S say they stick almost as good as sport tires.
We had one set of PR2s on our K1200RSs and the front tire wore pretty uneven compared to the PR3 on the K1300S.
We tried a set of Conti Roads 2 and they squred off more than the PR3 on long trips. Also without center tread on the Conti Road 2s, it was hard to tell how much tire was left.
The tread design on the PR3 makes it easy to tell how much tire is left at a glance.

Go with the PR3. I used both and lost confidence in the PR2. They were great 90% of the time but when thoroughly wet and at a certain lean angle, the front tended to slip out a bit more than i wanted to in the rain, never violently but it was there, felt sort of like a quick tar snake type of slip. Just enough to wake you up and keep you on your toes....., Yes i avoid rain too if i can help it, but sometimes you cannot. That is when, if the rain is unsettling you already, you do not want to additionally to have to worry about slipping front tires.

Gone through 3 pairs of PR3 now, never once had an issue. And I still wait for that slip every time I am out on them in the wet, but it has not happened yet. My tire for life, (till the PR4's next year?).

Add my PR3 vote. Best tires for me to date. The PR2 has the problem that when it starts to get flat spots, it will howl loudly when in turns due to the cupping in the ridge that develops at the transition point. First time that happened to me during a ride, I thought the front bearings were trashed and stopped quickly to check everything. A couple of the guys on the R1200R board even took a grinder to the ridge to stop the howling and get a bit more out of the tires.

The PR3 is also an outstanding rain tire. Use the B range tire for the rear and you get a lot better mileage if you carry passengers or stuff a lot of the time.

I have about 7000 miles on the current set and they still look nearly new.

K1300S Tire Choices

Not sure if you're considering Continentals. My bike came with the Continental SportAttacks as original equipment and when it came time to replace them I put the same tires back on as I was very pleased with them. My riding style is much like yours though I'm a few pounds lighter -- but not much -- and so I think the bike usage is similar. I have also done a few track days with the bike and those tires really bite the asphalt even with uncomfortable amounts of lean angle. The rear lasted just over 6,000 miles and front ran for 8,000 miles before having to replace them. I will say that because of the amount of highway or long distance riding, you will find that a mild flat spot will wear its way onto the rear but it's nothing serious and only marginally more center wear than on the rest of the tread. Just my $0.02 for what it's worth!

That's really good mileage, I only got about 4,000 out of my SportAttacks and wife only got 3,500 out of her M3s.
The rear PR3 will last around 8,000 to 9,000 for me and my wife gets about 7,000 to 8,000.

Yes, another Tire Thread...
I prefer the PR2ct on my S, though I have never tried the PR3. I ride cold wet roads in the early mornings spring and fall, plenty of rain, very hot afternoons returning from Sac from May to Sept. I get +/-6000 miles from a set. A lot depends on the friction factor of your local roads as well as your riding style. Our twisties are pretty aggressive on rubber, but obviously if you do much slab riding, that is far easier on the rubber unless the concrete is very aggressively tined like Nevada's new stuff on I-80, or if you are into significant speeds. My weekly ride is 185 miles each way with only about 30 on a freeway the rest is two-lane backroads. I barely got 3800 from the Conti Attacks and never cared for them in the cool wet mornings here on the coast, great in the warm, okay in HOT, but the PR2 has them beat all around for my money, though I am sure they would have been great on the track. The only movement I have had with the PR2s was when I hit the 'green stripe'.....we grow moss between the wheel tracks during winter. I did use the PR2s on the track once when I first tried them on the bike. 'Pretty good', but have since gone to a BT-003 race compound, way better for that purpose but would Never use them in the cool and damp mornings here.

Almost as bad as an oil thread. I have been going back and forth on what tires to order this time around. As background, rider 210, no passengers, light luggage, riding a combination of playing somewhat aggresively in the hills/curves of SW Wisconsin and slabbing it to see the kids out-of-state.

Original M3s felt great in the corners but only made it to 3800. Looking for greater mileage put on Z8s, lost some of the secure feeling in the corners, had to replace rear after 5000 with the cords showing with no warning (virtually no wear bars in center of the tread that I ever saw). Z8's replaced with M5s because when the Z8 cords started showing was 200 miles from home, looking at rain and M5s where the only tires dealer had in stock. M5s feel better than the Z8s and but will be gone by 4500.

Generally don't travel in the rain unless forced to, given that, is there any reason I should chose the PR3s over the PR2s if I discount the wet traction? Has anyone had any two of the three brands/models (PR, Z8, Angles) and what was you impression and would chose over the other and why?

Thanks in advance for your feedback. Randy

You may want to give some thought to Avon Storm Ultra's, AV-55 and AV-56. You've named off a number of good tires. I think you'll find the Avon's to perhaps give you the mileage increase you're looking for. Tires can and do feel different under varying conditions. The reality is most of us mortals are not capable of outriding the tire.

i looked at general tire reviews on this site, as well as on sites selling tires. The one tire that consistently came out as a great handling sport-touring tire with crazy long life was the PR3.
The new set is in the garage, waiting for the (new) snow to melt.

(seriously, researching anything on the internet is not rocket surgery....)

Yes, after going through the web reviews and other riders recommendations I ordered a set of PR3s couple months back (which I would have put on last year instead of the M5s if the dealer had them in stock when the Z8s showed cords while on a trip). Now it looks like I should have held off as the reviews on the new Pirelli Angle GT is showing tread life and wet performance as good or better than the PR3 but the drop off in performance as the tires wear is more linear (angle gt) than the steeper drop off of the PR3. I'll go through PR3s this year and try out the GTs next year.

Yes, after going through the web reviews and other riders recommendations I ordered a set of PR3s couple months back (which I would have put on last year instead of the M5s if the dealer had them in stock when the Z8s showed cords while on a trip). Now it looks like I should have held off as the reviews on the new Pirelli Angle GT is showing tread life and wet performance as good or better than the PR3 but the drop off in performance as the tires wear is more linear (angle gt) than the steeper drop off of the PR3. I'll go through PR3s this year and try out the GTs next year.

Being a devoted Michelin user, I read about the Pirelli Angel GT too and was going to try it out next year too. If I would be buying tires today I would try the Angel GT but I think I have enough PR3 left for a while. Of course to make this more complicated you know Michelin will probably release a PR4 next year to compete with the new compounds of the Angel GT.

That's really good mileage, I only got about 4,000 out of my SportAttacks and wife only got 3,500 out of her M3s.
The rear PR3 will last around 8,000 to 9,000 for me and my wife gets about 7,000 to 8,000.

We get around 8K with M3 and Avon Storm 2...I think speed is a primary issue with tire wear